Eh? What is an 'affray'?

What does the word 'affray' mean? You will sometimes see this when you look for information about the Wairau incident. It is sometimes called the Wairau Massacre or the Wairau Affray. It is mainly called the Wairau Incident now.

So- what does the word affray mean?

The word affray is a dated word and not used much anymore. It was a legal word and used in law. There are many words that can be used to try and explain its meaning: 

fight, brawl, battle, encounter, engagement, melee, clash, skirmish, scuffle, tussle, fracas and altercation.

This is an important story in New Zealand history because usually in the past only one side of the story has been told. There was very little effort at the time to see both sides of the story or to see the story from the Maori perspective. Read this information about the Wairau Incident and see if you can learn more about what happened on the 17th June 1843.